A psycho turns fairy-tale endings into nightmares in this “vivid cat-and-mice game” from the New York Times–bestselling author (William Bayer, Edgar Award–winning author). Karen is a lonely middle-aged doctor with a house in the woods. Sarah is a grief-stricken suburban widow who has turned to booze and barbiturates. Jordan is a directionless high school student and a child of divorce. They are three women with nothing in common but their red hair—until a stranger who calls himself the Big Bad Wolf sends each one the same chilling letter. Just like vulnerable Little Red Riding Hood, they are going to be stalked and killed—but in three distinct ways, in three different locations, all on the same fateful day. The one thing this devious madman didn’t count on was the Reds discovering each other. When authorities refuse to help, Karen, Sarah, and Jordan band together. But as they discover their power in numbers, how far are they’re willing to go to beat the Wolf at his own game. From the New York Times–bestselling author of Day of Reckoning comes a “twisted riff” on a Grimm tale (Publishers Weekly). “Must read for thriller fans.”—Booklist, starred review “Few writers of crime fiction seem to understand the criminal mind as well as Katzenbach.” —People

Three women. They have nothing in common. They are different ages, come from different background, and lead drastically different lives. The only thing that binds them together is their red hair—and that each of them has been targeted for murder. When each 'Red' receives a chilling letter in the mail from a killer known only as the Wolf, their lives are upended as they spend every waking moment in the fear that their lives could be snuffed out at any moment. The Wolf is stalking them, biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to complete his master plan. Yet the one thing this cunning and devious killer didn't plan for is the Reds discovering each other. The three women, using clues left by the Wolf, manage to band together in the hopes of protecting one another from this deadly predator. With law enforcement turning their backs on the Reds, their only hope for survival is to turn the tables, for the prey to become the predators. In a riveting game of cat-and-mouse, the Reds must track down the Wolf himself--before he silences each of them forever.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1867.